Arrangement structure of parking brake lever and arrangement structure of operating lever in vehicle

ABSTRACT

A parking brake lever which provides ease of recognition of a locked state of the parking brake lever and improves the arrangement of the parking brake lever around a handle bar. A parking brake lever includes a handle rear arm portion provided adjacent to a left handle bar rearward thereof in an unlocked position in which a parking brake caliper is in an unlocked state, and a handle upper arm portion provided adjacent to the left handle bar upward thereof in the unlocked position in which the parking brake caliper is in the unlocked state. A rotating shaft of the parking brake lever is provided in the handle rear arm portion that is substantially parallel to the direction of the axis of the left handle bar, so that the parking brake caliper can be operated into the locked state by pulling the parking brake lever upward.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 USC 119 to JapanesePatent Application No. 2009-204914 filed on Sep. 4, 2009 the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an arrangement structure of a parkingbrake lever and an arrangement structure of an operating lever in avehicle such as a saddle-type vehicle.

2. Description of Background Art

JP-A-2005-1511 discloses a structure in which a bracket is secured onthe left side of a handle bar of a motorcycle, and a clutch lever and aparking brake lever are supported by the bracket in a state in whichrespective axes thereof extend parallel to each other.

In the structure shown in JP-A-2005-1511, ease of operation of theparking brake lever is achieved because the parking brake lever islocked only by rotating the parking brake lever toward the clutch leverwith the operator's left hand while gripping the handle bar with his orher right hand when operating the parking brake lever. In addition, evenwhen a parking brake is kept in the locked state when starting thevehicle, since the parking brake lever comes to a position in which therotation of the clutch lever is restrained when operating the clutchlever, ease of recognition of the locked state of the parking brakelever is also achieved.

In addition, in the structure according to JP-A-2005-1511 describedabove, the ease of recognition of the locked state of the parking leveris achieved because the clutch lever is arranged on the handle bar, andthe operator's hand comes into contact with the parking brake lever whenoperating the clutch for starting the vehicle. However, in the case of avehicle having no clutch lever on the handle bar, to make the operatoraware of the locked state of the parking brake lever in association withthe operation performed before starting the vehicle such as the clutchoperation cannot be expected. Therefore, in the arrangement of theparking brake lever on the handle bar in a vehicle having no clutchlever on the handle bar, a structure which achieves the ease ofrecognition of the locked state of the parking brake lever is desired.

In the structure according to JP-A-2005-1511, when the parking brakelever is brought into an unlocked state, the parking brake lever ispositioned so as to extend forward of the handle bar along the handlebar. However, in this arrangement, the parking brake lever is prominentin appearance and hence it is far from being arranged favorably aroundthe handle bar.

Problems relating to the ease of recognition of operating state of theparking brake lever or the arrangement thereof are not limited to theparking brake lever, but are applicable generally to various operatinglevers.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

In view of such circumstances, it is an object of an embodiment of thepresent invention to provide an arrangement structure of a parking brakelever in a vehicle, which is superior in operability, achieves ease ofrecognition of the locked state of the parking brake lever even when theparking brake lever is arranged in the periphery of a handle bar of avehicle having no clutch lever and, simultaneously, and achievesimprovement of compactness of arrangement of the parking brake leveraround the handle bar.

It is another object of an embodiment of the present invention toprovide a favorable arrangement structure of the operating lever, whichachieves improvement of the compactness of arrangement of the operatinglever which is not limited to the parking lever around the handle bar ofthe vehicle, and achieves ease of recognition of the operating state.

In order to solve the above-described problems, according to anembodiment of the present invention an arrangement structure of aparking brake lever in a vehicle (for example, a motorcycle 1 in theembodiment) is provided wherein the vehicle includes a handle bar (forexample, a left handle bar 20 or a right handle bar 19 in theembodiment) configured to steer a front wheel 3 of the vehicle; abraking device (for example, a parking brake caliper 14 in theembodiment) configured to bring a vehicle wheel (for example, a rearwheel 4 in the embodiment) into a locked state or an unlocked state; acable (for example, a parking brake cable 16 in the embodiment)connected at one end thereof to the braking device; a parking brakelever 28 having the other end of the cable connected thereto and beingcapable of operating the braking device into the locked state or theunlocked state; and a holder member 27 mounted on the handle bar andpivotally supporting the parking brake lever so as to be rotatable,wherein the parking brake lever includes a handle vertical arm portion(for example, a handle rear arm portion 66 in the embodiment) providedadjacent to the handle bar either forward or rearward thereof in anunlocked position in which the braking device is in the unlocked state,and a handle upper arm portion (for example, a handle upper arm portion67 in the embodiment) provided adjacent to the handle bar upward thereofin the unlocked position in which the braking device is in the unlockedstate, a rotating shaft 44 of the parking brake lever is provided on thehandle vertical arm portion so as to extend to be substantially parallelto the direction of the axis of the handle bar, and the parking brakelever is capable of operating the braking device into the locked stateby being pulled upward.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the handle upperarm portion includes a suspending portion (for example, aforward-inclined portion 91 in the embodiment) suspending downward withrespect to the upper end of the handle bar either forward or rearward ofthe handle bar in the unlocked position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the holder memberincludes two half members (for example, a holder body 33 and a splitclamp half 34 in the embodiment) configured to split-clamp the handlebar, and the handle upper arm portion is formed to extend in the widthdirection so as to cover a split clamp portion of the holder member fromabove in the unlocked position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the handle upperarm portion is provided with an elastic member (for example, a rubbermember 96 in the embodiment) on a lower surface thereof so as to comeinto abutment with an upper portion of the split clamp portion of theholder member in the unlocked position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the handle verticalarm portion is provided on the underside thereof with an extendingportion (for example, a front extending portion 68 in the embodiment)extending either rearward or forward toward the handle bar, and therotating shaft of the parking brake lever is provided on the extendingportion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicleincludes an indicator 26A configured to display the locked state of thebraking device, and an indication switch 80 configured to enable ordisable the showing of the indicator. The indication switch is arrangedon the holder member adjacent to the rotating shaft of the parking brakelever, and the handle vertical arm portion is provided on the extendingportion thereof with an extending arm portion (for example, a frontextending arm portion 75 in the embodiment) extending from the rotatingshaft of the parking brake lever further rearward or forward toward thehandle bar, and the other end of the cable is connected to the extendingarm portion and a distal end of the extending arm portion is arranged soas to come into abutment with or move away from the indication switch inassociation with the rotation of the parking brake lever.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the handle barincludes a switch box 25 mounted thereon for operating lighting systemsof the vehicle, and the parking brake lever is arranged adjacent to theswitch box.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the parking brakelever is configured by rotatably assembling the handle upper arm portionto the upper portion of the handle vertical arm portion, and the handleupper arm portion and the handle vertical arm portion are assembled viaan energizing spring member (for example, a spring 95 in the embodiment)energized in the direction to pull up the parking brake lever.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the handle verticalarm portion is provided with an energizing spring member seat 84positioned at a certain distance from the handle upper arm portion andextending along the handle upper arm portion, the handle upper armportion is provided with an energizing spring member accommodatingdepression (for example, a spring accommodating annular depression 93 inthe embodiment) formed so as to face the energizing spring member seatfor accommodating the energizing spring member, the handle upper armportion and the handle vertical arm portion are rotatable by beingconnected with each other with a pin member (for example, a connectingshaft 87 in the embodiment). The handle upper arm portion is providedwith a stopper portion (for example, an accommodating portion 89 in theembodiment) on the opposite side of the pin member from the energizingspring member so as to extend along an upper portion of the handlevertical arm portion for restricting the rotation of the handle upperarm portion by coming into abutment with the upper portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the parking brakelever is pivotally supported so that the handle upper arm portion facesstraight forward toward the front of the vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an arrangementstructure of an operating lever in a vehicle (for example, themotorcycle 1 in the embodiment), includes: a handle bar (for example,the left handle bar 20 or the right handle bar 19 in the embodiment) forsteering a front wheel 3 of the vehicle; a movable component (forexample, the parking brake caliper 14 in the embodiment) takingdifferent positions depending on whether it is in an operating state ora non-operating state; a cable (for example, the parking brake cable 16in the embodiment) connected at one end thereof to the movablecomponent; the operating lever (for example, the parking brake lever 28in the embodiment) having the other end of the cable connected theretoand being capable of operating the movable component into the operatingstate or the non-operating state; and a holder member 27 mounted on thehandle bar and pivotally supporting the operating lever so as to berotatable, wherein the operating lever includes a handle vertical armportion (for example, the handle rear arm portion 66 in the embodiment)provided adjacent to the handle bar either forward or rearward thereofin a non-operating position in which the movable component is in thenon-operating state, and a handle upper arm portion 67 provided adjacentto the handle bar upward thereof in the non-operating position in whichthe movable component is in the non-operating state. A rotating shaft 44of the operating lever is provided on the handle vertical arm portion soas to extend to be substantially parallel to the direction of the axisof the handle bar, and the operating lever is capable of operating themovable component into the operating state by being pulled upward.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an arrangementstructure of an operating lever having substantially an L-shape whenviewed in the direction of an axis of a handle bar (for example, theleft handle bar 20 or the right handle bar 19 in the embodiment),includes: a grip portion (for example, the handle upper arm portion 67in the embodiment) provided on one arm portion of the operating lever;and a pivotally supported portion pivotally supported by the handle barso as to be rotatable at a distal end of the other arm portion (forexample, the handle rear arm portion 66 in the embodiment), wherein:

the operating lever is provided so that the handle bar is arrangedbetween the grip portion and the pivotally supported portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, since the brakingdevice can be brought into the locked state by rotating the parkingbrake lever upward, the desirable operability of the parking brake leveris ensured. Simultaneously, since the parking brake lever is arranged soas to embrace the handle bar with the parking brake lever in theunlocked position in which the braking device is in the unlocked state,the compact arrangement of the parking brake lever in the vehicle isalso achieved.

In addition, when the braking device is in the locked state, the parkingbrake lever is positioned to project upward in comparison with theunlocked position where the parking brake lever is compactly arranged.Therefore, the locked state is made further recognizable.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, ease of operationis achieved by securing a certain length of the parking brake lever, andfurther a compact arrangement of the parking brake lever in the vehicleis achieved because the parking brake lever is provided so as to embracethe handle bar more in the unlocked position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the operability isenhanced by widening the width of the parking brake lever above theholder member, and the compact arrangement of both components in thewidth direction is achieved by arranging the parking brake lever and theholder member one so as to overlap in the vertical direction.

Furthermore, by covering the split clamp portion of the holder memberwith the parking brake lever, enhancement of the appearance and thesense of compactness of the parking brake lever in the unlocked positionare achieved.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the stopper of theparking brake lever in the unlocked position is achieved by the abutmentwith the holder member. In addition, the parking brake lever and theholder member are protected by the intermediary of the elastic member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the rotating shaftof the parking brake lever which tends to be upsized can be mountedunobtrusively owing to the position of the rotating shaft of the parkingbrake lever below the handle bar.

In addition, in the vehicle having a fuel tank rearward of the handlebar, if the handle vertical arm portion of the parking brake lever isarranged rearward of the handle bar, the rotating shaft is arrangedforward on the side of the handle bar. Therefore, the interferencebetween the fuel tank and the holder member which may occur when thehandle bar is turned is easily avoided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, turning on and offof the indication switch is achieved by using the shape of the extendingarm portion extending from the lower portion of the handle vertical armportion for connecting the cable of the parking brake lever as a cam, sothat the indication switch can be arranged as compact as possible.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the feeling ofcompactness of the parking brake lever is further enhanced by arrangingthe parking brake lever adjacent to the switch box.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the case wherean object or the operator's hand is placed on the pull-up type parkingbrake lever from above by mistake, the handle upper arm portion isrotated downward to receive the load by the energizing spring member, sothat exertion of a heavy load on the lever rotating shaft from above thehandle vertical arm portion is avoided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement ofthe energizing spring member so as to be hardly visible from theappearance is achieved in a simple and compact configuration.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the parking brakelever extends along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, so thatthe operability is further enhanced.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, various operatinglevers in addition to the parking brake lever are compactly arranged onthe handle bar, so that the operating levers are easy to be recognizedwhen they and are at the position in the operating state is achieved.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitativeof the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a drawing viewed in the direction of an arrow A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of a handle bar;

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the handle bar;

FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a front side portion of the motorcycle in anenlarged scale;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a parking brake lever apparatus viewed frominside a vehicle body in the direction of an axis of the handle bar;

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the parking brake leverapparatus;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the parking brake leverapparatus for explaining assembly thereof;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the parking brake leverapparatus for explaining assembly thereof;

FIGS. 10( a) and 10(b) illustrate a holder member of the parking brakelever apparatus;

FIG. 11( a) and FIG. 11( b) are cross-sectional views relating to FIG.3, in which FIG. 11( a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the linea-a, and FIG. 11( b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line b-b;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line c-c in FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 shows a first latchet member of the parking brake leverapparatus viewed from the side of the parking brake lever;

FIG. 14 is a drawing of a second latchet member of the parking brakelever apparatus viewed from the side of the first latchet member;

FIGS. 15( a) and 15(b) illustrate a handle rear arm portion whichconstitutes the parking brake lever of the parking brake leverapparatus;

FIGS. 16( a) and 16(b) illustrate a handle upper arm portion whichconstitutes the parking brake lever of the parking brake leverapparatus;

FIGS. 17( a) to 17(d) illustrate an operation for bringing the parkingbrake lever apparatus into a locked state;

FIGS. 18( a) and 18(b) illustrate an operation for bringing the parkingbrake lever apparatus into an unlocked state;

FIG. 19 is a drawing showing a modification of the present invention,and is a side view of the parking brake lever apparatus viewed frominside the vehicle body in the direction of axis of the handle bar; and

FIG. 20 is a drawing showing a modification of the present invention,and is an enlarged view of the handle bar having the parking brake leverapparatus mounted thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference tothe drawings. Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, a schematic configurationof a motorcycle 1 as an example of a vehicle having a parking brakelever apparatus mounted thereon will be described. In the drawings usedfor description given below, an arrow FR which indicates a forwarddirection of the vehicle, an arrow UP which indicates an upwarddirection of the vehicle, and an arrow LH which indicates a leftwarddirection of the vehicle are shown at right positions, and thesedirections are used in the description of the motorcycle 1 as needed.

The motorcycle 1 includes an engine 2, which has a DCT (dual clutchtransmission) integrated therein, mounted on a vehicle body frame, notshown, at substantially the center thereof in the fore-and-aftdirection, a front wheel 3 arranged forward of the engine 2, and a rearwheel 4 arranged rearward of the engine 2.

The front wheel 3 is rotatably supported by a pair of left and rightfront forks 5, 5, which constitute a steering system of the vehicle, anda front wheel steering device 6, which is capable of steering the frontwheel 3, is provided on the top of the front forks 5, 5.

The front of the front wheel steering device 6 is covered with a frontcowl 7, which covers the front portion of a vehicle body from both sidesof the front portion, and the front cowl 7 is integrally provided with aheadlight, side mirrors, and a display panel for various instruments. Afuel tank 8 is provided rearward of the front wheel steering device 6,and a seat 9 on which an occupant is seated is provided rearward of thefuel tank 8.

The rear wheel 4 is rotatably supported at a rear portion of a swing arm10 extending from the rear of the engine 2, and a brake disk 12, whichrotates integrally with the rear wheel 4, is provided in the peripheryof an axle portion 11 of the rear wheel 4. The brake disk 12 isconfigured to control the rotation of the rear wheel 4 by being pressedfrom both side surfaces thereof, and a rear brake caliper 13 and aparking brake caliper 14, which are capable of pressing the brake disk12 from both side surfaces thereof, are provided at the rear end portionof the swing arm 10.

One end of a brake hose, not shown, is connected to the rear brakecaliper 13 which serves as a drive brake, and the other end of the brakehose is connected to a rear master cylinder provided with a rear brakepedal (foot brake). In contrast, one end of a parking brake cable 16 isconnected to the parking brake caliper 14, and the other end of theparking brake cable 16 extends to the front wheel steering device 6 andis connected to a parking brake lever apparatus 15 mounted on the frontwheel steering device 6.

As shown in FIG. 2 in an enlarged scale, the front wheel steering device6 in this embodiment is configured in such a manner that upper endportions of the left and right front forks 5, 5 are penetrated throughboth end portions of a top bridge 18 extending in the width direction ofthe vehicle, a right handle bar 19 is fixed to the upper end portion ofthe right front fork, and a left handle bar 20 is fixed to the upper endportion of the left front fork.

In FIG. 2, a combination panel 26 includes a speedometer integrallyinstalled on the front cowl 7 and is capable of displaying variousindicators. An indicator 26A lights up according to the operation of theparking brake lever apparatus 15.

The right handle bar 19 is fixed at one end to the upper end portion ofthe right front fork 5 and extends rightward of the vehicle, and theleft handle bar 20 is fixed to the upper end portion of the left frontfork 5 and extends leftward of the vehicle.

An accelerator grip 21 extending rightward of the vehicle along theright handle bar 19 is mounted on a distal end portion of the righthandle bar 19, and a front brake lever 22, which extends toward thefront of the accelerator grip 21 from the distal end portion of theright handle bar 19, is also supported pivotably by the distal endportion of the right handle bar 19. Provided on the right handle bar 19inside the accelerator grip 21 in the width direction is a reservoirtank 23 for storing brake oil for a front brake.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, a grip 24 extendingleftward of the vehicle along the left handle bar 20 is mounted on adistal end portion of the left handle bar 20, and a switch box 25including various operating switches such as a shift-up switch, ashift-down switch, a hazard switch, a change-over switch for lightingsystems such as the headlight, and a horn is provided on the left handlebar 20 inside the grip 24 in the width direction. Here, since themotorcycle 1 employs the engine 2 having the DCT integrated therein,gear shifting is achieved automatically. Therefore, it is not necessaryto operate a clutch for the gear shifting and hence a clutch lever isnot provided on the left handle bar 20.

Installed on the left handle bar 20 at a position adjacent to the switchbox 25 inside in the width direction is the parking brake leverapparatus 15.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the parking brake lever apparatus 15 includesa holder member 27 to be fixed to the left handle bar 20 and a parkingbrake lever 28 rotatably supported by the holder member 27 and, as shownin FIGS. 8 and 9, includes a first latchet member 30, a second latchetmember 31, and a release button 32, which constitute a latchet mechanisminvolved in the rotation of the parking brake lever 28, between theholder member 27 and the parking brake lever 28.

In the description given below, on the assumption that the parking brakelever apparatus 15 is secured to the left handle bar 20, the directionsof the vehicle are used for describing the configuration of the parkingbrake lever apparatus 15.

First of all, the holder member 27 is formed of aluminum alloy and, asshown in FIGS. 6 to 9, includes a holder body 33 configured to rotatablysupport the parking brake lever 28, a split clamp half 34 configured tofix the holder body 33 to the left handle bar 20 (see FIGS. 6 and 7),and a holder cover 35 configured to be attached to the side of theholder body 33.

The holder body 33 and the holder cover 35 are formed into a laterallyelongated shape in side view extending in the fore-and-aft directionunder the left handle bar 20 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the splitclamp portion 36 formed into an arcuate shape is formed on the top ofthe rear portion of the holder body 33 so as to project upward from thetop of the rear portion and extend along the peripheral surface of theleft handle bar 20 as shown in FIG. 10( a).

The split clamp portion 36 includes an abutment surface 36B which comesinto abutment with the left handle bar 20 on the inner peripheralsurface thereof. The upper portion of the split clamp portion 36 isdirected forward above the left handle bar 20 and is formed with anupper tightening hole 37 at an end surface thereof. The holder body 33is formed with a lower tightening hole 38 at a rear upper portionthereof, which is positioned right under the upper portion of the splitclamp portion 36.

The upper tightening hole 37 and the lower tightening hole 38 are usedfor fixing the split clamp half 34. The split clamp half 34 is formedinto a vertically elongated shape extending in the vertical direction inside view and positioned forward of the left handle bar 20, and includesan abutment surface 34B which comes into abutment with the left handlebar 20 at a substantially center in the vertical direction. In addition,the split clamp half 34 is formed with an upper through hole 41 and alower through hole 42, which are aligned with the upper tightening hole37 and the lower tightening hole 38, in the upper portion and the lowerportion thereof, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 11( a), the split clamp half 34 is fixed to the holderbody 33 with the left handle bar 20 positioned therebetween with bolts39, 40 inserted through the upper through hole 41 and the lower throughhole 42 and screwed into the upper tightening hole 37 and the lowertightening hole 38. Accordingly, the holder body 33 is fixed to the lefthandle bar 20.

The split clamp half 34 is integrally formed with a protruded portion34A which protrudes sideward as shown in FIG. 10( b). The protrudedportion 34A is set to have vertical height lower than the level wherethe upper through hole 41 of the split clamp half 34 is formed, extendsalong the axial direction of the left handle bar 20, and is formed to behollow in the interior thereof as shown in FIG. 12, which is across-sectional view taken along the c-c line in FIG. 3 (across-sectional view inside the a-a line in the width direction, whichis shown in FIG. 11( a)). FIG. 10( b) is a drawing of the holder body 33shown in FIG. 10( a) viewed from the front (FR).

As shown in FIG. 11( a), a cylindrical small projecting strip 43projecting toward the left handle bar 20 is formed on the innerperipheral surface of the split clamp portion 36 at substantially thecenter thereof in the vertical direction. The small projecting strip 43is engaged with an engaging hole 20A formed in the left handle bar 20.The small projecting strip 43 and the engaging hole 20A serve tofacilitate the axial and circumferential positioning of the holder body33 with respect to the left handle bar 20. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG.10( a), a stopper rib 33E projecting toward the parking brake lever 28is formed on the holder body 33 above the lower tightening hole 38. Thestopper rib 33E serves to control the rotation of the parking brakelever 28, and will be described later in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 8, 9, 10(a) and 10(b), a hollow cylindrical rotatingshaft 44 formed of iron is provided by casting on the holder body 33under the split clamp portion 36 so as to extend from the side surfaceof the holder body 33 toward the parking brake lever 28, in other words,so as to extend along the axial direction of the left handle bar 20.

The rotating shaft 44, serving to support the parking brake lever 28, isformed with an elongated hole 46 on a proximal (root) side thereof so asto extend along the axial direction thereof and a groove 73 extendingalong the circumferential direction thereof on the peripheral surface onthe distal end side thereof as shown in FIG. 8. The elongated hole 46 isconfigured to allow insertion of a connecting shaft 47 for joining thefirst latchet member 30 and the release button 32 as shown in FIGS. 8and 9, and the groove 73 allows engagement of a C-clip 74 forpositioning the parking brake lever 28 and preventing the same fromcoming off as shown in FIG. 7. Here, in FIGS. 8 and 9, reference sign L2designates an assembly line indicating the direction of assembly of theconnecting shaft 47, and illustration of the C-clip 74 is omitted inFIGS. 8 and 9 for the sake of convenience of illustration. The holderbody 33 is formed with a window portion 33C in a front surface of thelower portion thereof for exposing the elongated hole 46 as show in FIG.10( b), so that the connecting shaft 47 is allowed to be inserted intothe elongated hole 46 through the window portion 33C along the assemblyline L2. The window portion 33C is configured to be attached with a cap33D after assembly as shown in FIG. 11( a).

The holder body 33 in the periphery of the rotating shaft 44 is formedwith a first latchet accommodating depression 45 which is depressed fromthe side surface of the holder body 33 on the side where the parkingbrake lever 28 is supported toward the outside surface of the holderbody 33 as shown in FIG. 10( a). The first latchet accommodatingdepression 45 is configured to accommodate the first latchet member 30,described later. The first latchet accommodating depression 45 is formedwith projections 45B projecting from the bottom of the first latchetaccommodating depression 45, and the projections 45B extend so as toconnect the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 44 to the edgeportion of the first latchet accommodating depression 45. A plurality(four to be more precise) of the projections 45B are formed at regularintervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 44.With the formation of the projections 45B as described above, securementof the strength and rigidity of the holder body 33 which pivotallysupports the parking brake lever 28 is achieved.

In addition, the upper portion and the lower portion of the firstlatchet accommodating depression 45 are formed so as to extend upwardand downward, respectively, radially outward of the rotating shaft 44,so that the upper portion and the lower portion of the first latchetaccommodating depression 45 are formed with outer peripheral depressions45A having substantially an angular C-shape extending continuously fromthe first latchet accommodating depression 45.

The holder body 33 is formed with a switch mounting hole 81 at aposition forward of the rotating shaft 44 so as to penetrate through theside surface thereof as shown in FIG. 10( a), and an indication switch80 is secured to the switch mounting hole 81 with a screw as shown inFIG. 7. The indication switch 80 includes a button 80A (see FIG. 7)projecting toward the rotating shaft 44, and the button 80A isconfigured to be capable of protruding and retracting. Therefore, theindication switch 80 is configured to be capable of detecting whetherthe button 80A is pressed or not. The holder body 33 is formed with acylindrical movable strip supporting portion 82 on a side surfacethereof at a position between the rotating shaft 44 and the indicationswitch 80 so as to project toward the parking brake lever 28. Themovable strip supporting portion 82 supports thereon a leaf-spring-typemovable strip 83 (see FIG. 7). The leaf-spring-type movable strip 83extends in the vertical direction rearward of the indication switch 80,comes into abutment with the button 80A at the lower portion thereof,and is pivotable about the movable strip supporting portion 82.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10( a), the holder body 33 is also formed withan opening 33A for introducing an inner cable 16A of the parking brakecable 16 into the holder body 33 and a cable fixing portion 33B forfixing a cable outer 16B of the inner cable 16A to the holder body 33 atpositions below the rotating shaft 44.

On the rotating shaft 44 of the holder body 33 of the holder member 27as described above, first of all, the first latchet member 30 shown inFIGS. 8, 9, and 13 is fitted. In FIGS. 8 and 9, reference sign L1designates an assembly line indicating the direction of assembly of thefirst latchet member, and this assembly line also indicates thedirection of assembly of the second latchet member 31 and the releasebutton 32, described later.

The first latchet member 30 is formed of polyacetal (POM) having a highcreep resistance, is formed into a disk shape as shown in FIG. 13, andis formed at the center thereof with a through hole 48 for allowing theinsertion of the rotating shaft 44 along the assembly line L1. The firstlatchet member 30 is also formed with a connecting through hole 49extending in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of therotating shaft 44 and penetrating therethrough as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9as well. The first latchet member 30 is connected to the rotating shaft44 with the connecting shaft 47 inserted through the connecting throughhole 49 as shown in FIG. 11( b) and, as described above, the connectingshaft 47 is inserted into the elongated hole 46 along the assembly lineL2 from the window portion 33C formed in the holder body 33 shown inFIG. 8. Then, the first latchet member 30 connected to the rotatingshaft 44 with the connecting shaft 47 is brought into a state of beingmovable in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 44 within a rangeof the elongated hole 46 in the longitudinal direction. Morespecifically, the connecting shaft 47 connects the release button 32 tothe rotating shaft 44 together with the first latchet member 30 andallows the first latchet member 30 and the release button 32 to moveintegrally with each other, which will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the outline of the first latchet member 30 issubstantially the same as the shape of the first latchet accommodatingdepression 45 formed on the holder body 33, so that the first latchetmember 30 fitted on the rotating shaft 44 is accommodated in the firstlatchet accommodating depression 45 as being engaged therein. Here, thefirst latchet member 30 is formed with depressions 50B on the surface onthe side of the holder body 33 in the periphery of the through hole 48so as to be depressed from the holder body 33 toward the opposite sideas shown in FIG. 9, and the depressions 50B serve to compensate theprojections 45B formed on the side of the holder body 33. Thedepressions 50B are formed on the periphery of the through hole 48. Aplurality (four to be more precise) of the depressions 50B are formed atregular intervals in the circumferential direction of the through hole48, and the intervals are the same as those of the projections 45B.

The width of the depressions 50B in the circumferential direction of thethrough hole 48 is set to be slightly wider than the width of theprojections 45B in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft44, so that the depressions 50B and the projections 45B are engaged withclearances. Therefore, the movement of the first latchet member 30 alongthe direction of the axis of the rotating shaft 44 within the range ofthe elongated hole 46 in the longitudinal direction is achievedsmoothly.

The first latchet member 30 is formed with radial projections 50A, 50Aat the upper portion and the lower portion thereof so as to extendradially outward of the through hole 48 as shown in FIG. 9. The radialprojections 50A, 50A engage the outer peripheral depressions 45A formedon the holder body 33, so that the first latchet member 30 is restrictedfrom rotating in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 44.

The radial projections 50A, 50A are formed with spring engagingdepressions 53, 54 (see FIG. 9) for engaging springs 51, 52 asenergizing members shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and the springs 51, 52 engagethe spring engaging depressions 53, 54. The springs 51, 52 are providedbetween the first latchet member 30 and the holder body 33 in acompressed state, so that the first latchet member 30 is alwaysenergized toward the parking brake lever 28. As shown in FIG. 10( a),the outer peripheral depressions 45A of the first latchet accommodatingdepression 45 are formed with spring receiving depressions 55, 56 whichserve as bearing surfaces of the springs 51, 52. As shown in FIG. 13,the radial projections 50A, 50A formed on the upper portion and thelower portion of the first latchet member 30 are different in shape fromeach other so as to avoid assembling reversely by mistake.

The first latchet member 30 is formed with a first latchet teeth 61 onthe surface on the side of the parking brake lever 28 in the peripheryof the through hole 48 so as to project toward the parking brake lever28 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 13.

The first latchet teeth 61 are formed into a fan shape when viewed inthe direction of the axis of the rotating shaft 44, and the end surfacesthereof in the direction of the axis are formed to be flat. The fourfirst latchet teeth 61 are formed at regular intervals (at every 90° tobe more precise) on a concentric circle radially outward of the throughhole 48, and troughs 62 as shown in FIG. 13 are formed between adjacentfirst latchet teeth 61. The circumferential width of the troughs 62 withrespect to the rotating shaft 44 is 40°.

Subsequently, the parking brake lever 28 having the second latchetmember 31 integrally mounted thereon is fitted on the rotating shaft 44of the holder body 33 at a position adjacent to the first latchet member30 as described above as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

First of all, the parking brake lever 28 is rotatably supported at oneend thereof by the holder body 33 as shown in FIG. 6, and includes ahandle rear arm portion 66 extending in the vertical direction rearwardof the left handle bar 20 and a handle upper arm portion 67 mounted atone end thereof to the upper portion of the handle rear arm portion 66and extending toward the front above the left handle bar 20. In otherwords, the parking brake lever 28 is arranged so as to embrace the lefthandle bar 20.

The handle rear arm portion 66 includes an arm body 66A extending in thevertical direction rearward of the left handle bar 20 and a front coverportion 66B (FIG. 15(a)) provided on the upper portion of the arm body66A so as to extend toward the holder body 33 and covering the splitclamp portion 36 of the holder body 33 from the front, and a frontextending portion 68 formed on the lower portion of the arm body 66A soas to extend toward the front under the left handle bar 20 as shown inFIGS. 7 and 15. The front cover portion 66B is provided with aprojecting stopper projection 72 on the surface on the side of the splitclamp portion 36 as shown in FIG. 15( b). The stopper projection 72comes into abutment with an outer surface of the split clamp portion 36of the holder body 33.

The front extending portion 68 is formed with a rotating shaft insertionhole 69 which allows insertion of the rotating shaft 44, and the frontextending portion 68 is formed with a second latchet accommodatingdepression 70 on the side of the first latchet member 30 in theperiphery of the rotating shaft insertion hole 69 so as to be depressedfrom the side surface of the front extending portion 68 as shown inFIGS. 9 and 15( a).

The second latchet accommodating depression 70 is formed with an annularbearing projection 69A on the bottom surface thereof so as to projectfrom the edge of the rotating shaft insertion hole 69 toward the holderbody 33 as shown in FIG. 9, and the bearing projection 69A contributesto enhance the supporting rigidity of the parking brake lever 28 withrespect to the rotating shaft 44. Then, the second latchet accommodatingdepression 70 is formed with lever-side teeth 70B in the periphery ofthe bearing projection 69A so as to project from the bottom thereof. Thelever-side teeth 70B extend so as to connect the peripheral surface ofthe bearing projection 69A to the edge portion of the second latchetaccommodating depression 70, and a plurality (four to be more precise)of the lever-side teeth 70B are formed at regular intervals in thecircumferential direction of the rotating shaft 44. A distal end of thelever-side teeth 70B continues to be flush with the distal end surfaceof the bearing projection 69A, and lever-side troughs 70C are formedbetween adjacent lever-side teeth 70B. One of the lever-side teeth 70Bpositioned on the upper side is formed with a positioning depression 70Adepressed from the side surface.

The handle rear arm portion 66 includes the second latchet member 31integrally therewith by accommodating the second latchet member 31 inthe second latchet accommodating depression 70.

The second latchet member 31 is formed of polyacetal (POM) having a highcreep resistance, is formed into a disk shape as shown in FIG. 14, andis formed at the center thereof with a through hole 63 for allowing theinsertion of the rotating shaft 44. The second latchet member 31 isformed with a lever engaging teeth 64 on the surface on the side of theparking brake lever 28 in the periphery of the through hole 63 so as toproject toward the parking brake lever 28 as shown in FIG. 8.

The lever engaging teeth 64 are formed into a fan shape when viewed inthe direction of the axis of the rotating shaft 44, and the four leverengaging teeth 64 are formed at regular intervals (at every 90° to bemore precise) on a concentric circle radially outward of the throughhole 63 as shown in FIG. 8. Then, the width of the lever engaging teeth64 in the circumferential direction of the through hole 63 is set to besubstantially the same as the width of the lever-side troughs 70C in thecircumferential direction of the rotating shaft insertion hole 69, andthe radially inner sides of the lever engaging teeth 64 are removed soas to avoid the bearing projection 69A formed on the handle rear armportion 66. With the lever engaging teeth 64 in this configurationaccommodated in the lever-side troughs 70C, the handle rear arm portion66 includes the second latchet member 31 mounted integrally thereon, andsecond latchet member 31 is formed with a small projecting strip 65 tobe engaged with the positioning depression 70A on the upper side of theside surface thereof on the side of the parking brake lever 28 betweenthe adjacent lever engaging teeth 64 as shown in FIG. 8.

The second latchet member 31 is formed with second latchet teeth 71 onthe surface on the side of the first latchet member 30 in the peripheryof the through hole 63 so as to project toward the first latchet member30 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 14.

The second latchet teeth 71 are formed into a fan shape when viewed inthe direction of the axis of the rotating shaft 44, and the end surfacesin the direction of the axis thereof are formed to be flat. The foursecond latchet teeth 71 are formed at regular intervals (at every 90° tobe more precise) on a concentric circle radially outward of the throughhole 63. In addition, the width (circumferential width) of the secondlatchet teeth 71 in the circumferential direction of the through hole 63is set to be narrower than the width (circumferential width) of thetroughs 62 formed between the first latchet teeth 61 in thecircumferential direction of the through hole 48. More specifically, anangle β formed between both ends of the second latchet tooth 71 shown inFIG. 14 with the center of the through hole 63 is 30°, and an angle αformed between both ends of the trough 62 shown in FIG. 13 with thecenter of the through hole 48 is 40°, which is smaller by approximately10°.

The handle rear arm portion 66 having the second latchet member 31 asdescribed above integrally fitted thereto is inserted in such a mannerthat the flat portions at the distal ends of the second latchet teeth 71of the second latchet member 31 are pressed against the flat portions atthe distal ends of the first latchet teeth 61 of the first latchetmember 30, and causes the first latchet member 30 energized by thesprings 51, 52 to be retracted toward the holder body 33.

In order to hold the position that the handle rear arm portion 66 causesthe first latchet member 30 to be retracted toward the holder body 33 asdescribed above, the C-clip 74 (see FIG. 7) engages the groove 73 formedon the rotating shaft 44.

Here, in a state in which the handle rear arm portion 66 brings thestopper projection 72 into abutment with the left handle bar 20, thatis, in a state in which the handle rear arm portion 66 is in the uprightposition as shown in FIG. 6, the flat portions at the distal ends of thesecond latchet teeth 71 are capable of sliding on the flat surfaces atthe distal ends of the first latchet teeth 61. In FIG. 7, the parkingbrake lever 28 indicated by a doubled-dashed chain line is in a rotatedstate Lo in which the parking brake lever 28 is rotated toward the upperrear. When the handle rear arm portion 66 is rotated to this rotatedstate Lo, and the flat portions at the distal ends of the second latchetteeth 71 of the second latchet member 31 move away from the flatportions of the distal ends of the first latchet teeth 61 of the firstlatchet member 30 and oppose the troughs 62 of the first latchet member30, the first latchet member 30 projects toward the second latchetmember 31 by an energizing force of the springs 51, 52, so that thesecond latchet teeth 71 engage the troughs 62.

In the description given above, the width in the circumferentialdirection of the second latchet teeth 71 is set to be smaller than thewidth in the circumferential direction of the troughs 62 formed on thefirst latchet member 30. This is to minimize friction between thesurfaces of the respective teeth portions of the first latchet member 30and the second latchet member 31 thereby achieving smooth engagementbetween the second latchet teeth 71 and the troughs 62 with theprovision of clearances. Therefore, the angle is not limited to theangle of 10° set in the embodiment and may be changed as needed as longas the smooth engagement between the second latchet teeth 71 and thetroughs 62 is achieved. However, the width in the circumferentialdirection of the second latchet teeth 71 is preferably set to be smallerthan the width in the circumferential direction of the troughs 62 formedon the first latchet member 30 by 5° or more.

The handle rear arm portion 66 fitted on the rotating shaft 44 is formedwith a front extending arm portion 75 in the front of the frontextending portion 68 so as to extend forward from the rotating shaftinsertion hole 69 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 15( a).

The front extending arm portion 75 is formed with a cable connectinghole 76 for the connection with the parking brake cable 16, and theinner cable 16A of the parking brake cable 16 led from the opening 33Aof the holder body 33 is joined with the cable connecting hole 76.Therefore, when the handle rear arm portion 66 pivotally supported bythe rotating shaft 44 is rotated rearward so as to assume the rotatedstate Lo shown in FIG. 7, the inner cable 16A is pulled and hence theparking brake caliper 14 presses the brake disk 12 from both sides, sothat the second latchet teeth 71 engage the troughs 62 in this state,and the locked state of the parking brake lever apparatus 15 ismaintained. In other words, in the rotated state Lo, the parking brakelever apparatus 15 is in the locked state.

The front extending arm portion 75 is relatively tapered toward thefront, and includes at a distal end thereof with a switch abutmentportion 77 which is capable of coming into abutment with the button 80Aof the indication switch 80 as shown in FIG. 7. The switch abutmentportion 77 is arranged so as to come into contact with the button 80Awith the intermediary of the movable strip 83 provided on the holderbody 33 when the handle rear arm portion 66 takes the upright positionrearward of the left handle bar 20 as described above, and move awayfrom the movable strip 83 to be brought out of abutment with the button80A in the state in which the handle rear arm portion 66 is rotatedrearward. Therefore, the indication switch 80 is configured to becapable of detecting whether the parking brake lever apparatus 15 isrotated or not, and whether the parking brake lever apparatus 15 is inthe locked state or in the unlocked state is displayed in the indicator26A on the combination panel 26 on the basis of the result detected bythe indication switch 80. In addition, the front extending arm portion75 includes an abutment surface 75A which comes into abutment with thestopper rib 33E formed on the holder body 33 on the front upper portionthereof as shown in FIG. 7, and the amount of rotation of the parkingbrake lever 28 is limited by the abutment of the abutment surface 75Aagainst the stopper rib 33E.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 15( a), the handle rear arm portion66 is formed with a plate-shaped spring seat 84 on the top of the armbody 66A so as to extend toward the front above the left handle bar 20,in other words, extend along the direction of extension of the handleupper arm portion 67. The handle rear arm portion 66 is also formed withan arm connecting portion 85 on the top of the arm body 66A so as toextend upward with respect to the spring seat 84 and curve gently towardthe front as shown in FIG. 7. The arm connecting portion 85 is formedwith a shaft insertion hole 86 (FIG. 15( a)), and the handle upper armportion 67 is pivotably connected to the handle rear arm portion 66 witha connecting shaft 87 inserted through the shaft insertion hole 86.

The handle upper arm portion 67 is a portion where the operator gripsfor operating the parking brake lever apparatus 15 and, as shown inFIGS. 6 and 7, extends substantially straight from the top of the handlerear arm portion 66 toward the front, and includes at a front endthereof a forward-inclined portion 91 which is gently inclined downwardtherefrom.

The forward-inclined portion 91 reaches a level below the left handlebar 20 at the front end thereof, and covers and keeps the left handlebar 20 out of view when viewing the parking brake lever apparatus 15from the front.

The handle upper arm portion 67 is formed of polypropylene (PP)containing glass fiber powder, and is formed to have a relatively widewidth as shown in FIG. 16( b), and is set to have a sufficient width tocover the holder member 27 and the like when viewing the parking brakelever apparatus 15 from above as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A finger hole91A is provided for engaging the operator's finger formed in theforward-inclined portion 91.

The inside of the handle upper arm portion 67 is formed with depressionsat right places, and includes an accommodating portion 89 for coveringthe arm connecting portion 85 of the handle rear arm portion 66 andhaving a rear inner surface following the rear surface of the armconnecting portion 85 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 16( b).

The accommodating portion 89 is formed with a shaft insertion hole 90which penetrates both sides thereof as shown in FIG. 16( a), so that thehandle upper arm portion 67 is connected rotatably with respect to thehandle rear arm portion 66 with the connecting shaft 87 inserted throughthe shaft insertion hole 90 in a state of covering the arm connectingportion 85 with the accommodating portion 89 (see FIG. 11). Here, thehandle upper arm portion 67 is supported so as to be rotatable towardthe lower front with respect to the handle rear arm portion 66. However,since the inner surface of the accommodating portion 89 on the side ofthe handle rear arm portion 66 comes into abutment with the rear surfaceof the arm connecting portion 85, the accommodating portion 89 functionsas a stopper to restrict the rotation of the handle upper arm portion 67toward the upper rear.

As shown in FIG. 16( b), the handle upper arm portion 67 is formed onthe inside thereof with a holder upper accommodating depression 92 foraccommodating the split clamp portion 36 and the split clamp half 34 onthe side of the split clamp portion 36. The holder upper accommodatingdepression 92 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the handleupper arm portion 67 so as to cover the split clamp portion 36 and thesplit clamp half 34 in a state in which the handle rear arm portion 66is not rotated toward the upper rear as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7.

The handle upper arm portion 67 is also formed on the inside thereofwith a spring accommodating annular depression 93 depressed in anannular shape on the side of the holder cover 35 and a rubberaccommodating depression 94 on the front side of the springaccommodating annular depression 93. The spring accommodating annulardepression 93 is formed so as to face the spring seat 84 formed on thehandle rear arm portion 66 on the opposite side of the connecting shaft87 from the accommodating portion 89 as shown in FIG. 7, and a certainextent of clearance is set between the end surface of the springaccommodating annular depression 93 and the spring seat 84.

A spring 95 set to have a height larger than the depth of the springaccommodating annular depression 93 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 12 isinserted into the spring accommodating annular depression 93, and thespring 95 is in abutment with the spring seat 84 formed on the handlerear arm portion 66 in a compressed state. Accordingly, the handle upperarm portion 67 is energized upward, but the inner surface of theaccommodating portion 89 on the side of the handle rear arm portion 66abuts against the rear surface of the arm connecting portion 85 as thestopper, so that the rotation of the handle upper arm portion 67 isrestricted.

A rubber member 96 formed of resin material having a head set to have adiameter larger than the inner diameter of the rubber accommodatingdepression 94 is inserted into the rubber accommodating depression 94,and the rubber member 96 is in abutment with the upper portion of theprotruded portion 34A of the split clamp half 34 as shown in FIGS. 7 and12.

Subsequently, the release button 32 will be described. The releasebutton 32 is inserted into the hollow portion of the rotating shaft 44of the holder body 33 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

The release button 32 includes a connecting shaft 57 to be inserted atone end thereof into the interior of the cylinder of the rotating shaft44 and a button body 58 to be joined with the other end of theconnecting shaft 57 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

The connecting shaft 57 is movable in the rotating shaft in the axialdirection within the range of the elongated hole 46 formed on therotating shaft 44 in the longitudinal direction, and is formed with aconnecting hole 59 for allowing insertion of the connecting shaft 47(see FIG. 7, for example) at one end side, and the connecting shaft 47is inserted into the connecting hole 59. The assembly of the connectingshaft 47 with respect to the connecting shaft 57 is achieved byinserting the connecting shaft 47 from the window portion 33C formed onthe holder body 33 shown in FIG. 8 along the assembly line L2 andinserting the connecting shaft 47 into the elongated hole 46 as well asthe connecting hole 59. Then, the connecting shaft 57, being also joinedwith the first latchet member 30, is capable of pressing the firstlatchet member 30 energized toward the parking brake lever 28 in turntoward the holder body 33 along the direction of the axis of therotating shaft 44 against the energizing force of the springs 51, 52.

The button body 58 is set to have a thickness (height) to a certainextent in the direction of the axis of the connecting shaft 57, and apredetermined area of the button body 58 on the side of the connectingshaft 57 is colored differently from the distal end side thereof, sothat a colored portion 60 as shown in FIG. 8 is provided.

The holder cover 35 is attached to the holder body 33 with the parkingbrake lever 28 integrated with the first latchet member 30 and thesecond latchet member 31 placed therebetween.

The holder cover 35 is formed into a laterally elongated shapecorresponding to the laterally elongated shape of the holder body 33,and is formed with a release button opening 97 corresponding to theposition and the shape of the button body 58 of the release button 32 asshown in FIG. 8. The holder cover 35 is also formed with a lever lowercover portion 98 at the lower rear of the release button opening 97 soas to extend toward the holder body 33. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6,the holder cover 35 is also formed with a holder-side play adjustmentmarking line portion 99, which serves as marks for adjusting the play ofthe parking brake cable 16 at the time of assembly, above the releasebutton opening 97 on the upper portion of the side surface of the holdercover 35. The holder-side play adjustment marking line portion 99defines a predetermined angle range in the direction of rotation of thehandle rear arm portion 66 with two lines, while the handle rear armportion 66 is formed with a lever-side play adjustment marking portion100 at a position above the holder cover 35. Accordingly, the lever-sideplay adjustment marking portion 100 can be compared with the rangedefined by the holder-side play adjustment marking line portion 99 byrotating the handle rear arm portion 66 when assembling the parkingbrake lever apparatus 15, so that desirable adjustment of the play isachieved.

The release button opening 97 allows the insertion of the button body 58of the release button 32 and exposure of the same to the outside asshown in FIG. 6, and the colored portion 60 of the button body 58 of therelease button 32 is exposed from the release button opening 97 when thetroughs 62 of the first latchet member 30 engage the second latchetteeth 71 of the second latchet member 31 (see FIG. 4).

Subsequently, the method of operating the parking brake lever apparatus15 configured as described above and an action of the parking brakelever apparatus 15 in the locked state and in the unlocked state will bedescribed using FIGS. 17 and 18 with reference also to FIGS. 2 to 5.FIGS. 17 and 18 are diagrammatic vertical cross sectional views of theparking brake lever apparatus 15.

In this embodiment, the operator is able to grip the accelerator grip 21of the right handle bar 19 with his or her right hand R and grip thegrip 24 of the left handle bar 20 with his or her left hand L as shownin FIG. 2 and, from this state, is able to operate the parking brakelever apparatus 15 as needed with his or her left hand L as shown inFIG. 3. The parking brake lever apparatus 15 is mounted on the lefthandle bar 20 so as to embrace the same as apparent from theconfiguration described above, and is configured to be rotatable in thedirection indicated by an arrow B indicating the direction of rotationshown in FIG. 5, that is, in the circumferential direction of the lefthandle bar 20.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the handle upper arm portion 67 of theparking brake lever 28 extends substantially straight toward the front,vertical to the direction of the axis of the left handle bar 20. In thisstate, the parking brake caliper 14 is in the unlocked state in whichthe brake disk 12 is not pressed by the parking brake caliper 14 fromboth sides. Here, the state in which the handle upper arm portion 67 ofthe parking brake lever apparatus 15 extends substantially straight,which corresponds to the unlocked state, is referred to as “unlockedposition.” In this unlocked position, the parking brake lever 28 isarranged on the left handle bar 20 so as to embrace the same. Therefore,compact arrangement of the parking brake lever 28 in the vehicle isachieved. Also, since the forward-inclined portion 91, which is inclineddownward with respect to the upper end of the left handle bar 20 in thefront of the left handle bar 20, is provided and a certain length of thehandle upper arm portion 67 of the parking brake lever 28 is secured,ease of the pulling-up operation of the handle upper arm portion 67 isachieved. Also, since the parking brake lever 28 is provided on the lefthandle bar 20 so as to embrace the same in the unlocked position,further a compact arrangement of the parking brake lever apparatus 15 inthe vehicle is achieved.

The front extending portion 68 extending to the front toward the lefthandle bar 20 is provided on the lower portion of the handle rear armportion 66, and the rotating shaft 44 of the parking brake lever 28 isinserted through the front extending portion 68. Therefore, the rotatingshaft 44 of the parking brake lever 28 which tends to be upsized can bemounted unobtrusively owing to the position of the rotating shaft 44 ofthe parking brake lever 28 below the left handle bar 20. In addition,since the handle upper arm portion 67 and the handle rear arm portion 66are assembled with the intermediary of the spring 95 energizing thehandle upper arm portion in the direction to be pulled upward, even whenan object or the operator's hand is placed on the handle upper armportion 67 by mistake, the handle upper arm portion 67 rotates downwardand receives the load by the spring 95. Consequently, exertion of aheavy load on the rotating shaft 44 from above the handle rear armportion 66 is avoided.

Referring now to FIGS. 17( a) to 17(d), the actions of the parking brakelever apparatus 15 and the latchet mechanism when the parking brakelever 28 is rotated from the unlocked position described above will bedescribed.

FIG. 17( a) shows an unlocked state of the parking brake lever apparatus15. In this state, the flat portions at the distal ends of the secondlatchet teeth 71 of the second latchet member 31 press against the flatportions of the distal ends of the first latchet teeth 61 of the firstlatchet member 30, that is a state of being in friction against eachother. Accordingly, the flat portions at the distal ends of the secondlatchet teeth 71 are capable of sliding on the flat portions at thedistal ends of the first latchet teeth 61 in association with therotation of the parking brake lever 28.

Subsequently, FIG. 17( b) shows a state in which the parking brake lever28 is rotated. The flat portions at the distal ends of the secondlatchet teeth 71 of the second latchet member 31 slide on the flatportion at the distal end of the first latchet teeth 61 of the firstlatchet member 30, and the second latchet teeth 71 gradually move awayfrom the first latchet teeth 61.

Subsequently, FIG. 17( c) shows a state in which the second latchetteeth 71 are moved completely away from the first latchet teeth 61, andthe second latchet teeth 71 oppose the troughs 62 of the first latchetmember 30. In this state, the springs 51, 52, which are interposedbetween the first latchet member 30 and the holder body 33 in acompressed state, are expanded. In this embodiment, the stopperprojection 72 of the handle rear arm portion 66 is moved away from theleft handle bar 20, and the handle upper arm portion 67 assumes aninclined state as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 17( d) shows a state in which the springs 51, 52 are expanded, andthe first latchet member 30 is moved toward the parking brake lever 28along the direction of the axis of the rotating shaft 44. In this state,the second latchet teeth 71 engage the troughs 62 between the adjacentfirst latchet teeth 61, and the first latchet teeth 61 and the secondlatchet teeth 71 engage with each other. Therefore, when an attempt ismade to rotate the parking brake lever 28, the first latchet member 30is also about to move due to the engagement between the second latchetteeth 71 and the first latchet teeth 61. However, since the firstlatchet member 30, the radial projection 50A, and the outer peripheraldepressions 45A of the holder body 33 are engaged with each other, thefirst latchet member 30 cannot rotate, and the rotation of the parkingbrake lever 28 in the fore-and-aft direction is also restrained.Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the parking brake lever 28 is restrainedfrom rotating in the fore-and-aft direction in the popped up state ofbeing rotated toward the upper rear and is kept in the state of pullingthe parking brake cable 16. Consequently, the state in which the brakedisk 12 is pressed by the parking brake caliper 14 from both sides ismaintained, and hence the locked state of the parking brake leverapparatus 15 is maintained.

In the state shown in FIG. 17( d), the release button 32 also movesalong the direction of the axis of the rotating shaft 44. In this case,the button body 58 of the release button 32 projects from the releasebutton opening 97 of the holder cover 35. In this case, the coloredportion 60 provided on the button body 58 projects from the releasebutton opening 97 as shown in FIG. 4 and hence is exposed to theoutside, which urges the operator to recognize the operating state ofthe parking brake lever apparatus 15.

Subsequently, FIG. 4 shows the popped up state in which the parkingbrake lever 28 is rotated and hence the handle upper arm portion 67 isrotated to the upper rear, which is a locked state in which the parkingbrake caliper 14 presses the brake disk 12 from both sides. Here, thestate in which the parking brake lever apparatus 15 is rotated, whichcorresponds to the locked state, is referred to as “locked position.” Inthis locked position, even when the operator presses the parking brakelever 28 to the forward and downward by mistake, the parking brake lever28 is prevented from being rotated about the rotating shaft 44 owing tothe latchet mechanism. In addition, in the case where an object or theoperator's hand is placed on the handle upper arm portion 67 from aboveby mistake, the handle upper arm portion 67 is rotated downward toreceive the load by the spring 95. Therefore, exertion of a heavy loadon the rotating shaft 44 from above the handle rear arm portion 66 isavoided. Since the parking brake lever 28 is positioned to projectupward in comparison with the unlocked position in which the parkingbrake lever 28 is compactly arranged, the locked state is made furtherrecognizable.

Referring now to FIGS. 18( a) and 18(b), the actions of the parkingbrake lever apparatus 15 and the latchet mechanism when the parkingbrake lever 28 is operated to the unlocked position from the lockedposition described above will be described.

FIG. 18( a) shows a state in which the release button 32 projecting fromthe release button opening 97 of the holder cover 35 shown in FIG. 17(d) is pressed toward the holder body 33. In this state, the firstlatchet member 30 is moved along the rotating shaft 44 toward the holderbody 33, and the engaged state between the second latchet teeth 71 andthe troughs 62 is released. In this state, the rotation of the parkingbrake lever 28 is allowed. Here, the circumferential width β (see FIG.14) of the second latchet teeth 71 is smaller than the circumferentialwidth α (see FIG. 13) of the troughs 62 of the first latchet member 30.Therefore, the parking brake lever 28 is rotatable rearward by an amountcorresponding to the difference of the circumferential width. Whenreleasing the parking brake lever 28, if the operator presses therelease button 32 while rotating the parking brake lever 28 rearward,the release button 32 can be moved in a state in which the surfaces ofthe teeth portions of the first latchet member 30 and the second latchetmember 31 are not in friction against each other. Therefore, ease of thereleasing operation is achieved. When releasing the parking brake lever28, the rubber member 96 on the lower surface of the handle upper armportion 67 and the protruded portion 34A of the split clamp half 34 comeinto abutment with each other before the abutment between the stopperprojection 72 of the handle rear arm portion 66 and the split clampportion 36. Therefore, a flapping sound between the parking brake lever28 and the holder body 33 is restrained, and the impact of the abutmentbetween the stopper projection 72 and the holder body 33 (split clampportion 36) is alleviated. When the stopper projection 72 and the splitclamp portion 36 come into abutment with each other, there is aprobability of generation of abrasion powder from the stopper projection72 formed of resin and the split clamp portion 36 formed of aluminum.However, since the stopper projection 72 is formed at a position hardlyvisible from the appearance, such powder generation is inconspicuous.

FIG. 18( b) shows a state in which the parking brake lever 28 is rotatedfrom the state shown in FIG. 18( a), and the flat portions at the distalends of the second latchet teeth 71 are brought into abutment with theflat portions at the distal ends of the first latchet teeth 61 of thefirst latchet member 30. In this state, the flat portions at the distalends of the second latchet teeth 71 presses against the flat portions ofthe distal ends at the first latchet teeth 61 of the first latchetmember 30. Therefore, the rotation of the parking brake lever 28 isallowed and the flat portions at the distal ends of the second latchetteeth 71 are brought into a state of being slidable on the flat portionsat the distal ends of the first latchet teeth 61 in association with therotation of the parking brake lever 28.

As described above, in this embodiment, the parking brake lever 28rotatably supported by the holder member 27 in the parking brake leverapparatus 15 includes the handle rear arm portion 66 provided adjacentto the left handle bar 20 rearward thereof in the unlocked position inwhich the parking brake caliper 14 is in the unlocked state, and thehandle upper arm portion 67 provided adjacent to the left handle bar 20upward thereof in the unlocked position in which the parking brakecaliper 14 is in the unlocked state. The rotating shaft 44 of theparking brake lever 28 is provided in the handle rear arm portion 66 insubstantially parallel to the direction of the axis of the left handlebar 20, so that the parking brake caliper 14 can be operated into thelocked state by pulling the parking brake lever 28 upward.

Therefore, since the parking brake caliper 14 can be brought into thelocked state by rotating the parking brake lever 28 upward, thedesirable operability is ensured. Simultaneously, since the parkingbrake lever 28 is arranged so as to embrace the handle bar with theparking brake lever 28 in the unlocked position in which the parkingbrake caliper 14 is in the unlocked state, the compact arrangement ofthe parking brake lever apparatus 15 in the vehicle is also achieved. Inaddition, with the parking brake caliper 14 in the locked state, theparking brake lever 28 is positioned to project upward in comparisonwith the unlocked position in which the parking brake lever 28 iscompactly arranged, whereby the locked state is made furtherrecognizable.

Also, since the forward-inclined portion 91 which is inclined downwardwith respect to the upper end of the left handle bar 20 forward of theleft handle bar 20 in the unlocked position is provided on the handleupper arm portion 67, ease of operation of the handle upper arm portion67 is achieved by securing a certain length of the handle upper armportion 67 of the parking brake lever 28. Also, since the parking brakelever 28 is provided so as to embrace the left handle bar 20 in theunlocked position, a further compact arrangement of the parking brakelever apparatus 15 in the vehicle is achieved.

The holder member 27 includes the holder body 33 and the split clamphalf 34, which are two half members for split-clamping the left handlebar 20, and the handle upper arm portion 67 is formed to extend in thewidth direction so as to cover the split clamp portion of the holdermember 27, more specifically, the split clamp portion 36 and the splitclamp half 34 from above in the unlocked position. Therefore, theoperability is enhanced by widening the width of the handle upper armportion 67 of the parking brake lever 28 above the holder member 27, andthe compact arrangement of both components in the width direction isachieved by arranging the parking brake lever 28 and the holder member27 so as to overlap in the vertical direction. Furthermore, by coveringthe split clamp portion of the holder member 27 with the handle upperarm portion 67 of the parking brake lever 28, enhancement of theappearance and the sense of compactness of the parking brake leverapparatus 15 in the unlocked position is achieved.

In addition, the rubber member 96 which comes into abutment with theupper portion of the split clamp portion of the holder member 27, morespecifically, with the protruded portion 34A of the split clamp half 34in the unlocked position is provided on the lower surface of the handleupper arm portion 67. Therefore, the stopper of the parking brake lever28 in the unlocked position is achieved by the abutment with the holdermember 27 and, simultaneously, the parking brake lever 28 and the holdermember 27 are protected by the intermediary of the rubber member 96.

In addition, the front extending portion 68 extending forward toward theleft handle bar 20 is provided under the handle rear arm portion 66, andthe rotating shaft 44 of the parking brake lever 28 is inserted throughthe front extending portion 68. Therefore, the rotating shaft 44 of theparking brake lever 28, which tends to be upsized, can be mountedunobtrusively owing to the position of the rotating shaft 44 of theparking brake lever 28 below the left handle bar 20. With the provisionof the front extending portion 68, the rotating shaft 44 of the parkingbrake lever 28 is arranged in the front, which is the side of the lefthandle bar 20. Therefore, in a case where the left handle bar 20indicated by a double-dashed chain line in FIG. 2 is steered to a fullysteered position S, the interference between the fuel tank 8 and theholder member 27, which may occur when the front wheel steering device 6is turned, is easily avoided.

Then, the indication switch 80 which enable or disable the showing ofthe indicator of the combination panel 26 which displays the lockedstate of the parking brake caliper 14 is arranged adjacent to therotating shaft of the parking brake lever 28 in the holder member 27,the front extending arm portion 75 extending further to the front towardthe left handle bar 20 is provided on the front extending portion 68 ofthe handle rear arm portion 66, the parking brake cable 16 is connectedto the front extending arm portion 75, and a distal end of the frontextending arm portion 75 is arranged so as to come into abutment againstor move away from the indication switch 80 in association with therotation of the parking brake lever 28. Therefore, turning on and off ofthe indication switch 80 is achieved by using the shape of the frontextending arm portion 75 extending from the lower portion of the handlerear arm portion 66 for connecting the parking brake cable 16 as a cam,so that the indication switch 80 can be arranged as compact as possible.

The switch box 25 for operating the lighting systems of the vehicle ismounted on the left handle bar 20, and the parking brake lever apparatus15 is arranged adjacent to the switch box 25. By arranging the parkingbrake lever apparatus 15 adjacent to the switch box 25, furtherenhancement of the sense of compactness of the parking brake leverapparatus 15 is achieved.

The parking brake lever 28 is configured by assembling the handle upperarm portion 67 rotatably on the top of the handle rear arm portion 66,and the handle upper arm portion 67 and the handle rear arm portion 66are assembled via the spring 95 which is energized in the direction topull up the parking brake lever 28. Therefore, even when an object orthe operator's hand is placed on the handle upper arm portion 67 of thepulling-up type parking brake lever 28 from above by mistake, the handleupper arm portion 67 is rotated downward to elastically absorb theimpact by the spring 95. Therefore, an exertion of a heavy load on thehandle rear arm portion 66 is avoided.

Also, the handle rear arm portion 66 is provided with the spring seat 84positioned at a certain distance from the handle upper arm portion 67and extending along the handle upper arm portion 67, the handle upperarm portion 67 is provided with the spring accommodating annulardepression 93 formed so as to face the spring seat 84 for accommodatingthe spring 95, the handle upper arm portion 67 and the handle rear armportion 66 are configured to be rotatable by being connected with theconnecting shaft 87, and the handle upper arm portion 67 is formed withthe accommodating portion 89, which extends along the upper portion ofthe handle rear arm portion 66 and restricts the rotation of the handleupper arm portion 67 by coming into abutment with the upper portion, ata portion on the opposite side of the connecting shaft 87 from thespring 95. Therefore, the arrangement of the spring 95 so as to behardly visible from the appearance is achieved in a simple and compactconfiguration.

In this embodiment, the handle rear arm portion 66 of the parking brakelever 28 is arranged adjacent to the left handle bar 20 rearwardthereof. However, the parking brake lever 28 may be arranged adjacent toand in the front of the left handle bar 20 as shown in FIG. 19. In thiscase as well, the desirable operability is achieved, the compactness inthe vehicle is achieved, and the ease of recognition of the locked stateof the parking brake lever apparatus 15 is achieved. In this embodiment,the parking brake lever 28 and the second latchet member 31 aredifferent members. However, the parking brake lever 28 and the secondlatchet member 31 may be integrally formed of aluminum alloy or thelike. In this embodiment, the parking brake lever apparatus 15 isprovided on the left handle bar 20 of the front wheel steering device 6of so-called a separate type. However, the parking brake lever apparatus15 according to the present invention may be desirably used also on abar handle which extends integrally toward the left and right, and theparking brake apparatus may be provided at a center portion of such barhandle, that is, in the vicinity of the center portion in the vehiclewidth direction.

In FIG. 20, a left handle bar 20′ having a different shape from the lefthandle bar 20 is shown as a modification of the embodiment describedabove. In this example, the left handle bar 20′ is formed with a parkingbrake lever mounting portion 200 which extends in parallel to thevehicle width direction when not being steered, and the parking brakelever apparatus 15 is mounted on the parking brake lever mountingportion 200. Then, the parking brake lever apparatus 15 is mounted insuch a manner that the handle upper arm portion 67 of the parking brakelever 28 faces straight forward toward the front of the vehicle when theleft handle bar 20′ is not steered. Therefore, the handle upper armportion 67 may be directed to extend along the fore-and-aft direction ofthe vehicle when operating the parking brake lever 28, so that furtherease of operation is achieved.

In the embodiment described above, the example in which the presentinvention is applied to the parking brake lever has been described.However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may beapplied to various operating levers in the vehicle. As the variousoperating levers to which the present invention may be applied, adecompression lever, a chalk lever, or the like is conceivable.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An arrangement structure of a parking brake lever in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising: a handle bar configured to steer a front wheel of the vehicle; a braking device configured to bring a vehicle wheel into a locked state or an unlocked state; a cable connected at one end thereof to the braking device; a parking brake lever having the other end of the cable connected thereto and being capable of operating the braking device into the locked state or the unlocked state; and a holder member mounted on the handle bar and pivotally supporting the parking brake lever so as to be rotatable, wherein: the parking brake lever includes a handle vertical arm portion provided adjacent to the handle bar either forward or rearward thereof in an unlocked position in which the braking device is in the unlocked state, and a handle upper arm portion provided adjacent to the handle bar upward thereof in the unlocked position in which the braking device is in the unlocked state; a rotating shaft of the parking brake lever is provided on the handle vertical arm portion so as to extend to be substantially parallel to the direction of the axis of the handle bar with the parking brake lever being capable of operating the braking device into the locked state by being pulled upward.
 2. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 1, wherein the handle upper arm portion includes a suspending portion suspending downward with respect to the upper end of the handle bar either forward or rearward of the handle bar in the unlocked position.
 3. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 1, wherein the holder member includes two half members configured to split-clamp the handle bar, and the handle upper arm portion is formed to extend in the width direction so as to cover a split clamp portion of the holder member from above in the unlocked position.
 4. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 3, wherein the handle upper arm portion is provided with an elastic member on a lower surface thereof so as to come into abutment with an upper portion of the split clamp portion of the holder member in the unlocked position.
 5. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 1, wherein the handle vertical arm portion is provided on an underside thereof with an extending portion extending either rearward or forward toward the handle bar, and the rotating shaft of the parking brake lever is provided on the extending portion.
 6. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle includes an indicator configured to display the locked state of the braking device, and an indication switch configured to enable or disable the showing of the indicator, and the indication switch is arranged on the holder member adjacent to the rotating shaft of the parking brake lever, said handle vertical arm portion being provided on the extending portion thereof with an extending arm portion extending from the rotating shaft of the parking brake lever further rearward or forward toward the handle bar, and said other end of the cable being connected to the extending arm portion and a distal end of the extending arm portion is arranged so as to come into abutment with or move away from the indication switch in association with the rotation of the parking brake lever.
 7. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 1, wherein the handle bar includes a switch box mounted thereon for operating lighting systems of the vehicle, and the parking brake lever is arranged adjacent to the switch box.
 8. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 1, wherein the parking brake lever is configured by rotatably assembling the handle upper arm portion to the upper portion of the handle vertical arm portion, and the handle upper arm portion and the handle vertical arm portion are assembled via an energizing spring member energized in the direction to pull up the parking brake lever.
 9. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 8, wherein the handle vertical arm portion is provided with an energizing spring member seat positioned at a certain distance from the handle upper arm portion and extending along the handle upper arm portion, the handle upper arm portion is provided with an energizing spring member accommodating depression formed so as to face the energizing spring member seat for accommodating the energizing spring member, the handle upper arm portion and the handle vertical arm portion are rotatable by being connected with each other with a pin member, and the handle upper arm portion is provided with a stopper portion on the opposite side of the pin member from the energizing spring member so as to extend along an upper portion of the handle vertical arm portion for restricting the rotation of the handle upper arm portion by coming into abutment with the upper portion.
 10. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 1, wherein the parking brake lever is pivotally supported so that the handle upper arm portion faces straight forward toward the front of the vehicle.
 11. An arrangement structure of an operating lever in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising: a handle bar for steering a front wheel of the vehicle; a movable component taking different positions depending on whether it is in an operating state or a non-operating state; a cable connected at one end thereof to the movable component; an operating lever having the other end of the cable connected thereto and being capable of operating the movable component into the operating state or the non-operating state; and a holder member mounted on the handle bar and pivotally supporting the operating lever so as to be rotatable, wherein: the operating lever includes a handle vertical arm portion provided adjacent to the handle bar either forward or rearward thereof in a non-operating position in which the movable component is in the non-operating state, and a handle upper arm portion provided adjacent to the handle bar upward thereof in the non-operating position in which the movable component is in the non-operating state, and a rotating shaft of the operating lever is provided on the handle vertical arm portion so as to extend to be substantially parallel to the direction of the axis of the handle bar with the operating lever being capable of operating the movable component into the operating state by being pulled upward.
 12. An arrangement structure of an operating lever having substantially an L-shape when viewed in the direction of an axis of a handle bar, comprising: a grip portion provided on one arm portion of the operating lever; and a pivotally supported portion pivotally supported by the handle bar so as to be rotatable at a distal end of the other arm portion; wherein the operating lever is provided so that the handle bar is arranged between the grip portion and the pivotally supported portion.
 13. An arrangement structure of a parking brake lever for use with a vehicle comprising: a handle bar adapted to steer a front wheel of the vehicle; a braking device configured to bring a vehicle wheel into a locked state or an unlocked state; a cable connected at one end thereof to the braking device; a parking brake lever having the other end of the cable connected thereto and being capable of operating the braking device into the locked state or the unlocked state; and a holder member mounted on the handle bar and pivotally supporting the parking brake lever so as to be rotatable: said parking brake lever comprising: a handle vertical arm portion operatively positioned adjacent to the handle bar either forward or rearward thereof in an unlocked position in which the braking device is in the unlocked state, and a handle upper arm portion provided adjacent to the handle bar upward thereof in the unlocked position in which the braking device is in the unlocked state; a rotating shaft of the parking brake lever is operatively positioned on the handle vertical arm portion so as to extend to be substantially parallel to a direction of the axis of the handle bar with the parking brake lever being capable of operating the braking device into the locked state by being pulled upward.
 14. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 13, wherein the handle upper arm portion includes a suspending portion suspending downward with respect to the upper end of the handle bar either forward or rearward of the handle bar in the unlocked position.
 15. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 13, wherein the holder member includes two half members configured to split-clamp the handle bar, and the handle upper arm portion is formed to extend in the width direction so as to cover a split clamp portion of the holder member from above in the unlocked position.
 16. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 15, wherein the handle upper arm portion is provided with an elastic member on a lower surface thereof so as to come into abutment with an upper portion of the split clamp portion of the holder member in the unlocked position.
 17. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 13, wherein the handle vertical arm portion is provided on an underside thereof with an extending portion extending either rearward or forward toward the handle bar, and the rotating shaft of the parking brake lever is provided on the extending portion.
 18. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 17, wherein the vehicle includes an indicator configured to display the locked state of the braking device, and an indication switch configured to enable or disable the showing of the indicator, and the indication switch is arranged on the holder member adjacent to the rotating shaft of the parking brake lever, said handle vertical arm portion being provided on the extending portion thereof with an extending arm portion extending from the rotating shaft of the parking brake lever further rearward or forward toward the handle bar, and said other end of the cable being connected to the extending arm portion and a distal end of the extending arm portion is arranged so as to come into abutment with or move away from the indication switch in association with the rotation of the parking brake lever.
 19. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 13, wherein the handle bar includes a switch box mounted thereon for operating lighting systems of the vehicle, and the parking brake lever is arranged adjacent to the switch box.
 20. The arrangement structure of the parking brake lever according to claim 13, wherein the parking brake lever is configured by rotatably assembling the handle upper arm portion to the upper portion of the handle vertical arm portion, and the handle upper arm portion and the handle vertical arm portion are assembled via an energizing spring member energized in the direction to pull up the parking brake lever. 